Fitness

Bluefoam

I took up cycling (MTB) 6 months ago in order to get fit. Now I am trying to get fit so that I can cycle...

My body seems to have some sort of immunity to fitness & the guys I cycle with are twice as fit as me. Maybe I should see a doctor or sumptink. :mad:

Morgan

Are you getting out on the bike much? What kind of riding are you doing?

Bluefoam

Once a week for a 3 - 5 hour spin, the likes of Glendalough etc... and occassionally up Howth on the road & down to Deerpark off road.

It's just depressing how unfit I am...

Morgan

You really need to get out for more spins - once a week won't really do it. There's no secret to getting fit - you just have to put the miles in. Try to get out 2-3 times a week - even on the road, even if you can just spare 1.5 hours in the evening. Allow a day or two of rest in between. You should start to see an improvement after a few weeks.

Pherekydes

Bluefoam wrote:

...the guys I cycle with are twice as fit as me.

Are you cycling on road on your MTB with guys on road bikes?

Yip get some secret training in during the weekdays.Try some steeper hills aswell.Kilmashogue is a nice climb and the Wicklow Way is a nice route to get fit quick.A better diet might also help.

Bluefoam

Deleted User wrote:

Yip get some secret training in during the weekdays.Try some steeper hills as well. Kilmashogue is a nice climb and the Wicklow Way is a nice route to get fit quick.A better diet might also help.

Aggghhhh... don't mention the 'D' word!

Thanks for the advice guys, will just have to put more work in...

mloc123

try getting out for an hour an evening if you can, should see a huge improvement within a few weeks.

kincsem

Have a regular route that takes about an hour (1/2 hour out; 1/2 hour back) and do it on three evenings a week. If you get bored come back. If you feel good, you can go a little further. But for the first weeks stick to one hour only. You will learn your route, and get into a rhythm.

The advice above about a rest day is good. Cycle every second day.

Some people will say an hour is not enough, but you don't want to be discouraged with massivly long cycles that leave you exhausted, and dispirited.

blorg

If you are managing 3-5 hour spins at all you are unlikely to be chronically unfit. Having said that the advice above is good, more regular shorter spins will likely help you improve. Hour-long cycles are definately of use.

Civilian_Target

You really have to be putting in at least once every 3 days to make the fitness stay. That said, if you can manage a 3 hour spin, you can't be that unfit...

rubadub

You can also start some weight training if you cannot get out on the bike, even just bodyweight training can help a lot. Squats will build good overall strength, not just in the legs. Pushups will work out your upperbody really well. I think strength training can really help cycling, esp. mountainbiking, when you might need bursts of strength. I find upper body strength very beneficial when cycling.

Are you eating well before going out? do you bring food along?

oobydooby

Welcome to the club

A suggestion (something I'd resisted all my years before) is spinning classes in a gym. I did them for about two months last year before a charity ride where I was out of my depth and they helped enormously. Good for all round fitness and perfect if you haven't the time/mood to get out on the bike at night.

Or you could start cycling with people who are even more unfit than you are and feel good about yourself

Bluefoam

Its okay now, I was out on a gargantuan spin over the weekend and am fully fit now. Great, isn't it...

Morgan

That's lucky. You should be sure to eat some fig rolls during the week to avoid losing all those hard-won gains.

Ghost Rider

How does that work?

Morgan wrote:

That's lucky. You should be sure to eat some fig rolls during the week to avoid losing all those hard-won gains.

pete4130

I'd def not say you were unfit if you can manage 3-5 hour cycles at any speed. I'd say part of the problem the frequency of your cycles. Once a week doing a large spin like won't allow the benefit of it to build up. By the time to following week comes around you'll be back to square one.

Like the other guys said, try to get out a few times during the week even for an hour. This will help you build up stamina and fitness combined with your long weekend cycles and eventually you'll feel that the spins at the weekend aren't as hard as they used to be.

If your riding a MTB on long distances you'll probably struggle against other guys on road bikes too. If you get a chance to take a spin on a roadie one weekend (obviously not doing any off road on it!) you'll see the difference than if you are currently riding a MTB.

Hope this is of some help?

Pete.

EDIT: Yes, as someone else mentioned, food is quite important to stop you getting tired. Things like pasta fill you up nicely and are full of carbs. You get a good steady slow release of energy which is good for long cycles. Try bringing some sports bars (with quick releasing energy) if you are feeling hungry while out (maybe that was the fig roll reference?) and keep yourself well hydrated to stop fatigue setting in too.
I've noticed at the end of the day on my cycle home that if I'm a bit hungry it does make me feel more tired and I struggle to do my commute that bit more.

The_B_Man

i work shift work so only cycle to work every 2nd week, when im on earlys. the week im doin lates, if i dont get any midweek cycles in, will that negate the effects of the previous week?

usually i'd do 10k into work (Templeogue to CityWest), then 10k back. so 20k 5 days a week. when im on lates, i might cycle home to me parents for something, usually only about 5k each way at most, but that'd be like 1 or 2 days a week max.

would this be counter-productive at all? also, what are these sports bars you're all talkin about? i dont realyl get much breakfast before i go to work in the mornings so something like that would probably work wonders!!